A film about the artistic process in every sense of the phrase, Spanish director Victor Erice's El Sol del Mebrillo (The Quince Tree Sun) loosely documents the efforts of artist Antonio Lopez to paint the titular foliage in his… MoreA film about the artistic process in every sense of the phrase, Spanish director Victor Erice's El Sol del Mebrillo (The Quince Tree Sun) loosely documents the efforts of artist Antonio Lopez to paint the titular foliage in his backyard. Lopez agonizes over just how to capture the light falling on the tree's leaves; he aspires to complete the painting before the fruit falls at the end of the season. Meanwhile, the artist is distracted by unannounced visitors, the debate over the Gulf War, and the filmmaker himself. Sol begins in documentary form, with voiceover narration from Lopez himself, then slowly takes on other qualities: slightly staged narrative storytelling; hypnotic, dream-like nature film; and philosophical meditation on art and mortality. Barely released in the U.S., the film nonetheless made it onto many stateside critics' "Best of the 1990s" lists, and won the International Critics' Prize at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival. Erice's previous efforts include two hallmarks of Spanish cinema, 1973's The Spirit of the Beehive and 1983's Sur. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Cast

In its own minimalist way it becomes a thoughtful, delicate inquiry into the essence of the artistic process, and a tribute to the beauty and mutability of nature. Mr. Erice's film is much bigger than it may appear to be.

The complacent portrait of Lopez dwells in the silence and state of fine art retaining the elaborate "auteur" detail which makes Erice's study of… MoreThe complacent portrait of Lopez dwells in the silence and state of fine art retaining the elaborate "auteur" detail which makes Erice's study of conversation,nature,intoxicating feeling such a beloved textbook on time's benefits.Perhaps the simple stuff and as naive as it sounds,just watch those two old men reiterating the past,their affections and the still images of youth.

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